Left Hand Technique (Guitar Lesson)
What are you waiting for? Get your membership now!
Left Hand Technique
Dave Isaacs takes a look at left hand technique with this lesson. He explains how the hand works with the neck and fretboard and corrects some common mistakes most beginners and intermediate level players make.
Taught by David Isaacs in Effortless Guitar seriesLength: 10:00Difficulty: 1.0 of 5
Video Subtitles / Captions
Supplemental Learning Material
Effortless Guitar
Found in our Beginner Lesson SetsEffortless Guitar With Dave Isaacs.
Lesson 1
Effortless Guitar Primer
JamPlay welcomes David Isaacs to our teacher roster. With his first lesson Dave explains his approach to playing guitar with a focus on efficiency of motion.
Length: 10:06 Difficulty: 1.0 FREELesson 2
Left Hand Technique
Dave Isaacs takes a look at left hand technique with this lesson. He explains how the hand works with the neck and fretboard and corrects some common mistakes most beginners and intermediate level players...
Length: 10:00 Difficulty: 1.0 Members Only
Flat Picking Technique
In this lesson, David Isaacs explains the mechanics of picking with a flat pick. He shows the differences between using your arm and wrist for the picking motion.
Length: 9:39 Difficulty: 1.0 Members Only
The Drummer In Your Right Hand
Dave Isaacs teaches right hand rhythms with this lesson for solo acoustic guitar. He explains that when playing by yourself you need to make up for the lack of other instruments by spicing up your right...
Length: 7:47 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Building Chords From Scales
Dave teaches you how to open up the fretboard by learning chords built from scales. In this lesson and most lessons in his series, Dave assumes that the student knows the major and minor scales as well...
Length: 8:48 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Economical Chord Changes
Building upon his last lesson, Dave shows you some ways to change between chords efficiently. This lesson is aimed at self-taught intermediate players but may benefit beginners as well.
Length: 7:32 Difficulty: 1.5 Members Only
Barre Chords
Dave Isaacs continues his lessons on chord technique with this lesson on barre chords (also known as bar chords). In this lesson he shows simple but effective ways to play barre chords efficiently. He...
Length: 9:42 Difficulty: 0.0 Members Only
Non-Diatonic Chord Progressions
Dave shows you how to connect a chord together in a progression even if it is not in the same diatonic key of the progression. In this lesson Dave assumes you have some basic knowledge of scale and chord...
Length: 9:42 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Fingerstyle Technique
David Isaacs explores the intricacies of fingerstyle picking and the different methods that can be used. He explains how your right hand works while fingerpicking and how to find what works for you.
Length: 21:31 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
Adding Melody To Your Arpeggio Patterns
Dave Isaacs shows you how to add melody lines to your fingerstyle arpeggio progressions. As with all his lessons in this series a certain amount of knowledge is assumed and Dave focuses on helping you...
Length: 7:37 Difficulty: 2.5 Members Only
Effective Practice Habits For Adults
Dave lays out his life long experiences related to practicing and guitar. If you have limited time to practice and want to get the most out of your time, you need to watch this lesson.
Length: 8:30 Difficulty: 2.0 Members Only
About David Isaacs
View Full Biography
Nashville-based Dave Isaacs has made a name for himself as one of Music City's top guitar instructors, working with both professional and aspiring songwriters and artists at his Music Row teaching studio. He is also an instructor in the music department at Tennessee State University and is the coordinator and artistic director of the annual TSU Guitar Summit.
A seasoned performer as well, Dave has released eight independent CDs and gigs steadily as a solo artist, bandleader, and sideman. He continues to write, record, and perform as well as arranging and producing projects for other artists.
Acoustic Guitar Lessons
Our acoustic guitar lessons are taught by qualified instructors with various backgrounds with the instrument.
Pamela Goldsmith
Pamela brings a cap to her first 13 JamPlay lessons with another original etude inspired by the great Leo Brouwer. This is...
Free LessonSeries Details
Jessica Baron
Jessica kindly introduces herself, her background, and her approach to this series.
Free LessonSeries Details
Danny Voris
Lesson 7 is all about arpeggios. Danny provides discussion and exercises designed to build your right hand skills.
Free LessonSeries Details
Mark Kroos
Free LessonSeries Details
Alan Skowron
Alan shares his background in teaching and sets the direction for his beginning bass series with simple ideas and musical...
Free LessonSeries Details
David Isaacs
JamPlay welcomes David Isaacs to our teacher roster. With his first lesson Dave explains his approach to playing guitar with...
Free LessonSeries Details
Calum Graham
Award winning, Canadian fingerstyle guitarist Calum Graham introduces his Jamplay Artist Series, which aims to transform...
Free LessonSeries Details
Don Ross
New fingerstyle instructor Don Ross introduces himself, his background, and what you should expect in this series.
Free LessonSeries Details
Justin Roth
In this lesson Justin introduces his series on playing with a capo and dishes out some basic tips, including how to properly...
Free LessonSeries Details
Electric Guitar Lesson Samples
Our electric guitar lessons are taught by instructors with an incredible amount of teaching experience.
Dennis Hodges
Learn a variety of essential techniques commonly used in the metal genre, including palm muting, string slides, and chord...
Free LessonSeries Details
James Malone
James explains how to tap arpeggios for extended musical reach.
Free LessonSeries Details
Guthrie Trapp
JamPlay introduces Nashville session player Guthrie Trapp! In this first segment, Guthrie talks a little about his influences,...
Free LessonSeries Details
Aaron Marshall
JamPlay welcomes instrumental guitarist Aaron Marshall for a comprehensive master course. In this first lesson Aaron discusses...
Free LessonSeries Details
Michael Ripoll
Michael "Nomad" Ripoll dives deep into the rhythm & blues, funk, and soul genres that were made popular by artists like Earth...
Free LessonSeries Details
Mark Brennan
Mark Brennan teaches this classic rock song by Jethro Tull. Released on the album of the same name in 1971, this song features...
Free LessonSeries Details
Braun Khan
In this lesson, Braun teaches the chord types that are commonly used in jazz harmony. Learn how to build the chords and their...
Free LessonSeries Details
Eric Haugen
Eric Haugen discusses the goals of his "Six String Problem Solver" lesson series and what kind of material it covers.
Free LessonSeries Details
Irene Ketikidi
Dynamics can be a key component to becoming expressive with your melodies. Irene applies some dynamic expressive techniques...
Free LessonSeries DetailsJoin over 505024 guitarists who have learned how to play in weeks... not years!
Signup today to enjoy access to our entire database of video lessons, along with our exclusive set of learning tools and features.
Unlimited Lesson Viewing
A JamPlay membership gives you access to every lesson, from every teacher on our staff. Additionally, there is no restriction on how many times you watch a lesson. Watch as many times as you need.Live Lessons
Exclusive only to JamPlay, we currently broadcast 8-10 hours of steaming lesson services directly to you! Enjoy the benefits of in-person instructors and the conveniences of our community.Interactive Community
Create your own profile, manage your friends list, and contact users with your own JamPlay Mailbox. JamPlay also features live chat with teachers and members, and an active Forum.Chord Library
Each chord in our library contains a full chart, related tablature, and a photograph of how the chord is played. A comprehensive learning resource for any guitarist.Scale Library
Our software allows you to document your progress for any lesson, including notes and percent of the lesson completed. This gives you the ability to document what you need to work on, and where you left off.Custom Chord Sheets
At JamPlay, not only can you reference our Chord Library, but you can also select any variety of chords you need to work on, and generate your own printable chord sheet.Backing Tracks
Jam-along backing tracks give the guitarist a platform for improvising and soloing. Our backing tracks provide a wide variety of tracks from different genres of music, and serves as a great learning tool.Interactive Games
We have teachers covering beginner lessons, rock, classic rock, jazz, bluegrass, fingerstyle, slack key and more. Learn how to play the guitar from experienced players, in a casual environment.Beginners Welcome.. and Up
Unlike a lot of guitar websites and DVDs, we start our Beginner Lessons at the VERY start of the learning process, as if you just picked up a guitar for the first time.Our teaching is structured for all players.Take a minute to compare JamPlay to other traditional and new methods of learning guitar. Our estimates for "In-Person" lessons below are based on a weekly face-to-face lesson for $40 per hour.
 |
||||
| Price Per Lesson | < $0.01 | $4 - $5 | $30 - $50 | Free |
| Money Back Guarantee | Sometimes | n/a | ||
| Number of Instructors | 125 | 1 – 3 | 1 | Zillions |
| Interaction with Instructors | Daily Webcam Sessions | Weekly | ||
| Professional Instructors | Luck of the Draw | Luck of the Draw | ||
| New Lessons | Daily | Weekly | Minutely | |
| Structured Lessons | ||||
| Learn Any Style | Sorta | |||
| Track Progress | ||||
| HD Video | - | Sometimes | ||
| Multiple Camera Angles | Sometimes | - | Sometimes | |
| Accurate Tabs | Maybe | Maybe | ||
| Scale/Chord Libraries | ||||
| Custom JamTracks | ||||
| Interactive Games | ||||
| Community | ||||
| Learn in Sweatpants | Socially Unacceptable | |||
| Gasoline Needed | $0.00 | $0.00 | ~$4 / gallon! | $0.00 |
Mike H.
"I feel like a 12 year old kid with a new guitar!"
I am 66 years young and I still got it! I would have never known this if it had not been for Jamplay! I feel like a 12 year old kid with a new guitar! Ha! I cannot express enough how great you're website is! It is for beginners and advanced pickers! I am an advanced picker and thought I had lost it but thanks to you all, I found it again! Even though I only play by ear, I have been a member a whopping whole two weeks now and have already got Brent's country shuffle and country blues down and of course with embellishments. Thank you all for your wonderful program!
Greg J.
"With Jamplay I can fit in a random session when I have time and I can go at my own pace"
I'm a fifty eight year old newbie who owns a guitar which has been sitting untouched in a corner for about seven years now. Last weekend I got inspired to pick it up and finally learn how to play after watching an amazing Spanish guitarist on TV. So, here I am. I'm starting at the beginning with Steve Eulberg and I couldn't be happier (except for the sore fingers :) Some day I'm going to play like Steve! I'm self employed with a hectic schedule. With Jamplay I can fit in a random session when I have time and I can go at my own pace, rewinding and replaying the videos until I get it. This is a very enjoyable diversion from my work yet I still feel like I'm accomplishing something worthwhile. Thanks a lot, Greg
Bill
"I believe this is the absolute best site for guitar students."
I am commenting here to tell you and everyone at JamPlay that I believe this is the absolute best site for guitar students. I truly enjoy learning to play the guitar on JamPlay.com. Yes, I said the words, ""enjoy learning."" It is by far the best deal for the money.
Member Comments about this Lesson
Discussions with our instructors are just one of the many benefits of becoming a member of JamPlay.It's funny, I've been playing guitar for 10 years, a couple years as a "pro", and I'm going back and trying to correct left hand technique now...lol
So true about the weight of the fretting arm being more than sufficient to stop the string(s) for single notes and most chords. It follows, logically, that the primary use of the thumb is not so much to oppose the fingers, but as a reference for hand position and to stabilize the hand.
Thank you for all your beginners lessons which have set me up to start playing with more confidence. I will keep going back to the lessons but this is a wonderful addition to your clear teachings.
It looks as if you are laying your hand down when you reach for the 5th & 6th frets. Doesn't this deaden the 4th & 5th strings then?
Guitar Zen Master...Awesome!
A good and vital lesson. Distraction while drilling technique continues to be a struggle for me. I even started figuring out and practicing the lick you were using to demonstrate your point while listening to the lesson. Must try harder to focus.
Good grief. Wish I would've learned this years ago. Thanks.
I feel that way about everything I learn.
Good to hear you talk about the anatomy off the left hand and the way you explained the effortless use of the left hand I certainly will use your info in my practice. Thanks for your thoughts.
What's that on the nut of your guitar ? Looks like capo, but what's it doing on the nut ?
Important video. Now I'm going to ask myself a lot of questions.
Man I've been playing for ever, I am graduated from a music conservatory and I would've loved to have this lesson on the early days, great lesson, very important one! thanks man! and hello from Argentina
hello left hand
Very serious here; I like the way he only plays to illustrate. Good concept that I will try.
I appreciate your easy relaxed style. I am looking forward to your future lessons.
Thanks for the lesson David...great teaching! Look forward to what's next. Doug
More please!
Great lesson - thanks!
Thanks for the lesson. Although there's not really much "exercises" in there, I feel like what you said about exercises in general really helps. Looking forward to the next lesson.